Straps Containing Alignment Elements for Use with Carrying Devices

ABSTRACT

New and non-obvious systems and devices are provided for permitting decoration of the straps of carrying devices. These systems and devices contain alignment elements that allow for a user to optionally associate accessories with the devices. When no accessory is associated with the device, the alignment element is not visible on the front side of the strap.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 13/112,091,filed May 20, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No.12/894,313, filed Sep. 30, 2010. The disclosures of the priorityapplications are incorporated by reference into the instantspecification

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to carrying devices

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Men, woman and children frequently carry bags to work, to school, onvacation, to the park and on errands. Bags used for these purposesinclude but are not limited to backpacks, satchels, pocketbooks,handbags, tote bags, suitcases, briefcases, etc. and collectively may bereferred to as carrying devices.

Because people retain and reuse their carrying devices for months if notyears, they frequently spend a significant amount of time picking outthe carrying devices that they believe are best for them. Among thefactors that they may consider are the size, the comfort when carrying,the durability and the aesthetic look of the carrying device. Withrespect to aesthetics, persons may, for example, consider the shape of acarrying device, its color, its design and its texture.

Many persons will, however, find that over time they tire of carrying abag that has an unchanged appearance. In order to accommodate thesepersons' desires to continue to use their carrying devices, whilesatisfying their desires to change the appearances of the devices, theymay, for example, decide to dye a carrying device or otherwise changeits color or change its design by for example, using permanent paints ormarkers. Unfortunately, these types of changes can be time consuming andexpensive and are not easily performed with the frequency with which aperson who likes to change how he or she expresses himself or herselfwould like. Other persons may sew patches on their bags. This may be aneasier endeavor than coloring or painting the carrying device. However,this too has its limits, because the removal of patches can betime-consuming, and the act of sewing causes a person to put multipleholes in the carrying device, which may be undesirable.

Another known option is to pin ornaments to a carrying device. Childrenfrequently do this, and when they do, they may use safety pins asmechanisms for attachment. However, as with sewing patches, at eachattachment location at least one hole is placed in the carrying device.This can weaken the integrity of the carrying device. Moreover,typically these types of ornamentations are added to the bag portion ofthe device and in the case of backpacks are viewed by others as thewearer walks away, not as the wearer of the backpack approaches or istalking to another person.

Therefore, there exists a need for new ways for persons to expressthemselves on their carrying devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems, devices and methods fordecorating the straps of carrying devices.

According to a first embodiment, the present invention provides acarrying device comprising: (a) a bag; (b) a strap, wherein the strap isattached to the bag; and (c) an accessory, wherein the accessory may bereversibly associated with the strap and the accessory comprises, (i) adisplay element; and (ii) and an attachment mechanism, wherein theattachment mechanism permits the accessory to be reversibly associatedwith the strap.

According to a second embodiment, the present invention provides abackpack comprising: (a) a bag; (b) a first strap and a second strap,wherein the first strap and the second strap are shoulder straps and areattached to the bag; and (c) an accessory, wherein the accessory may bereversibly associated with at least one of the first strap or the secondstrap and the accessory comprises, (i) a display element; and (ii) anattachment mechanism, wherein the attachment mechanism permits theaccessory to be reversibly associated with at least one of the firststrap or the second strap.

According to a third embodiment, the present invention provides acarrying device comprising: (a) a bag; and (b) a strap, wherein saidstrap is attached to the bag and the strap is attached to the bag at afirst attachment location and at a second attachment location and thestrap comprises a first alignment element and a second alignmentelement, wherein the first alignment element is located a first distancefrom the first attachment location and the second alignment element islocated a second distance from the second attachment location, whereinthe first distance and the second distance are substantially the samesize. In some embodiments, the carrying device further comprises anaccessory, wherein the accessory may be reversibly associated with saidstrap and said accessory comprises (i) a display element; and (ii) anattachment mechanism. In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism maybe designed such that it is distinct from and need not be coupled to orthread any alignment element such as a hole or male or female receivingmember on the strap. The strap may be designed such that is contains noholes or none are located in the vicinity of the alignment element orany holes that are present, are not associated with, coupled to and/orengaged by the accessory.

According to a fourth embodiment, the present invention provides acarrying device comprising: (a) a bag; and (b) a strap, wherein saidstrap is attached to said bag, wherein the strap comprises at least onealignment element, wherein said alignment element is not visible when aperson looks at a front side of the strap. If the strap is for examplepart of a tote bag, then the alignment element may in some embodimentsbe visible (even when no accessory is used) from a first side thatcorresponds to the inner side of the strap, i.e., the side directedtoward the bag or the person's body, when the carrying device is in use,but not be visible to a third party. Thus, by way of further example aset of two or more alignment elements (or three or more or four or more,etc.) may be located on each half of a strap and on the same side of thestrap, but because the strap hangs over a person's shoulder, when thecarrying device is in use, one of the sets of alignment elements may beoriented toward a user's chest or biceps, while the other set isoriented toward the user's back or triceps. This may render thealignment elements obstructed (partially or completely) from view whenthe bag is in use.

Any of the bags of the present invention may be used with or without theaccessories of the present invention. Similarly, any of the accessoriesof the present invention may be used with or without the bags of thepresent invention.

Through the use of the present invention, a person who uses a carryingdevice may easily and efficiently provide ornamentation to the carryingdevice. This ornamentation may easily be changed without unnecessarilydiminishing the integrity of the carrying device, which in turn willhelp to satisfy a person's desire to change how he or she expresseshimself or herself through his or her carrying device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an illustration of how an accessory may be viewed when engagedwith a strap of a backpack.

FIG. 2 is a representation of a strap of the present invention overlaidon an accessory with one type of attachment mechanism that is notengaged.

FIG. 3 is a representation of the strap and accessory of FIG. 2 asengaged.

FIG. 4 is a representation of the cross-section of a strap with anaccessory with a different attachment mechanism engaged with it.

FIG. 5 is a representation of a strap with an accessory attached asviewed from a hypothetical end of the strap.

FIG. 6 is a representation of an accessory of the present invention withan attachment mechanism in the open position.

FIG. 7 is a representation of an accessory of the present invention withan attachment mechanism in the closed position.

FIG. 8 is a representation of tote bag with four accessories on the samestrap

FIG. 9 is a representation of another tote bag with two accessories oneach of two straps.

For illustrative purposes only and to enable a better view of theinvention, the elements and components of the invention are notnecessarily drawn to scale relative to each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to a first embodiment, the present invention is directed to acarrying device. The phrase “carrying device” refers to an apparatus ordevice that may be used to render the transport of items easier due tothe items being placed in a cavity and one or more straps that may beheld in a person's hand or laid across a person's shoulder or hungelsewhere to facilitate transport of the items therein or suspension ofthose items. Unless otherwise specified, the term “strap” includes anelement that may be referred to as a “handle.” Additionally, unlessotherwise specified, the cavity forming portion of a carrying device maybe referred to as a bag. The bag, in combination with a strap or strapsmay form an apparatus that is for example a backpack, a tote bag, ahandbag, a pocketbook, a briefcase, a suitcase, a satchel, etc.

In some embodiments, the volume of the bag ranges from about 1000 cubiccentimeters to about 1 cubic meter (1,000,000 cubic centimeters) or fromabout 5000 cubic centimeters to about 1,000,000 cubic centimeters orfrom about 10,000 cubic centimeters to about 500,000 cubic centimetersor from about 100,000 cubic centimeters to about 250,000 cubiccentimeters or from about 250,000 cubic centimeters to about 750,000cubic centimeters. The bag may be rigid, semi-rigid or soft and may, forexample, comprise, consist essentially of or consist of one or more oforganic or synthetic materials or combinations thereof, including butnot limited to denim, cotton, canvas, wool, rayon, leather, nylon,plastic, rubber, foam, metal, metal alloy or combinations thereof.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the bag has wheels associated with it.

The strap may be formed of one or more materials that have sufficientstrength that a person may carry the contents of the bag by holding onlythe strap or straps. The ends of the strap may for example be attachedto the bag through stitching. By way of non-limiting examples, the strapmay be comprised of, consist essentially of or consist of one or more oforganic or synthetic materials or combinations thereof, including butnot limited to denim, cotton, canvas, wool, rayon, leather, nylon,plastic, rubber, foam, metal, metal alloy or combinations thereof.Furthermore, in some embodiments the strap contains a material thatforms padding or cushioning over part or all of the strap, for example,over 100% of the strap, over at least 90% of the strap, over at least80% of the strap, over at least 70% of the strap, over at least 60% ofthe strap, over at least 50% of the strap, over at least 40% of thestrap, over at least 30% of the strap, over at least 20% of the strap,or over at least 10% of the strap. When less than the entire strap haspadding, preferably the padded region corresponds at least in part tothe area that lies over the points of highest likely stress, e.g., wherethe hands will rest, which is often in the middle area of a strap for atote bag, or over the shoulder and/or chest areas for a backpack. Thepadding may be fixed to certain parts of the strap or moveable, e.g., bysliding it along the strap. In other embodiments, the aforementionedpadding or cushioning is within the strap. When within the strap, thepadding may run the whole length of the strap or there may be paddingwithin at least 90% of the strap, within at least 80% of the strap,within at least 70% of the strap, within at least 60% of the strap,within at least 50% of the strap, within at least 40% of the strap,within at least 30% of the strap, within at least 20% of the strap, orwithin at least 10% of the strap. When within the strap, preferably, thepadding does not move along the length of the strap.

Preferably a portion of the strap if not all of the strap along itsthickness dimension is compressible, e.g., elastic or at least has shapememory so that if compressed and the force that causes the compressionis removed, the compressed area of the strap returns to essentially itsoriginal size and shape. For example, in some embodiments, it willreturn to the same size and shape or within at least 80% of that size orwithin at least 90% of that size or within at least 95% of that size andto the same shape or essentially the same shape.

The size of the strap will in part depend on its intended use, and thesize of the user. By way of non-limiting examples, in some embodiments,the length of a strap may be from about 20 cm to about 500 cm or fromabout 30 cm to about 400 cm or from about 50 cm to about 200 cm. In someembodiments, the width of the strap may for example be from about 2 cmto about 10 cm or from about 3 cm to about 8 cm or from about 4 cm toabout 6 cm. In some embodiments, the thickness may be from about ½ of amillimeter to about 5 centimeters or from about 1 millimeter to about 5centimeters or from about 2 millimeters to about 3 centimeters or fromabout 5 millimeters to about 2 centimeters. The aforementioned rangesare for the combined range of an individual strap as being used,regardless of whether the strap is a combination of materials.Furthermore, if the strap is adjustable, the overhang materials, i.e.,those materials that are not being used to support the force of carryingthe bag, are not included in the above ranges.

In many embodiments, there will be one to four straps. In someembodiments, there may be one strap, as is the case with manybriefcases. In other embodiments, there may be two straps as is the casewith many backpacks and tote bags. As persons of ordinary skill in theart will recognize, in many applications each strap is attached to thebag at two locations.

The carrying device may also comprise an accessory that may bereversibly associated with a strap. The phrase “reversibly associated”means that the accessory can be associated and disassociated from thestrap without diminishing the integrity of the accessory or the strapand each can be reused with the other or reused with other straps oraccessories, respectively. Furthermore, the term “associated” is usedinterchangeably with engaged and means that due to the force that oneitem exerts on another, two items will stay together as they are pulledor pushed through space.

The accessory, which in some embodiments may be used with or without thebag and strap of the present invention, comprises a display element andan attachment mechanism. The display element may, for example, becomprised of one or more of plastic, metal, and ceramic materials andcombinations thereof and may contain words, symbols and/or pictures intwo or three dimensions on a front side that form a decoration (alsoreferred to as an ornamentation). In some embodiments, the displayelement is rigid.

By way of non-limiting examples, the words, symbols and/or pictures mayinclude a name, geographic location, logo, pattern, picture,representation of a person, animal, thing, place or fictional characteror combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the decoration is only onone side of the display element. That side may be referred to as thefront face of the display element. When the accessory is associated witha strap, this face may be on the side that is opposite of the side ofthe display element that is closest to or contacts the strap. In someembodiments, the rear face is smooth. In some embodiments, the rear faceof the display element is flat and/or rigid.

The display element may be any regular or irregular shape. In someembodiments, the display element is a three-dimensional rectangle, wherethe sides with the most surface area correspond to the front face and tothe side opposite the front face, i.e., the rear face. In someembodiments, the length of the front face is from approximately 30% lessthan the width of the strap with which it will be associated toapproximately 30% more than the width of the strap with which it will beassociated or the length of the front face is from approximately 20%less than the width of the strap with which it will be associated toapproximately 20% more than the width of the strap with which it will beassociated or from approximately 10% less than the width of the strapwith which it will be associated to approximately 10% more than thewidth of the strap with which it will be associated or fromapproximately 5% less than the width of the strap with which it will beassociated to approximately 5% more than the width of the strap withwhich it will be associated or from approximately 3% less than the widthof the strap with which it will be associated to approximately 3% morethan the width of the strap with which it will be associated or fromapproximately the same as the width of the strap with which it will beassociated to approximately 20% more than the width of the strap withwhich it will be associated or from approximately the same as the widthof the strap with which it will be associated to approximately 10% morethan the width of the strap with which it will be associated or fromapproximately the same as the width of the strap with which it will beassociated to approximately 5% more than the width of the strap withwhich it will be associated or from approximately the same as the widthof the strap with which it will be associated to approximately 3% morethan the width of the strap with which it will be associated.

When the display element is narrower than the total height of theaccessory or shorter than the total length of the accessory, theattachment mechanism (or any connection between the display element andthe attachment mechanism) may be visible to observers of the accessorywhen attached to a strap, which may be undesirable to many owners ofcarrying devices. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the attachmentmechanism (and any connection structure if present) is designed so thatit is smaller than the display element and/or not visible when theaccessory is associated with a strap.

The height of the display element at its highest points, which is thedimension that runs parallel to the length of the strap, is in someembodiments from about ½ of a centimeter to about 5 centimeters or fromabout 1 cm to about 4 centimeters of from about 2 centimeters to about 3centimeters.

The thickness of the display element at its thickest points is in someembodiments from about ½ of a millimeter to about 3 centimeters or fromabout 1 millimeter to about 1.5 centimeters of from about 5 millimetersto about 1.5 centimeters. Thickness of the display element is measuredin the same direction as the thickness of the strap.

The accessory can be carried on the strap of a carrying device andtherefore is preferably light weight. It may for example be comprisedof, consist essentially of or consist of a light weight plastic or otherpolymer. In some embodiments, the display element is made of a plasticwhile the hardware of the attachment mechanism comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of metal or a metal alloy.

As noted above, the accessory also contains an attachment mechanism. Theattachment mechanism permits the accessory to be reversibly associatedwith the strap. There are many means by which the attachment mechanismmay work. In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism works by amechanism that does not require piercing of the strap, i.e., does notuse a pin, needle or other sharp object to go into the body of thestrap. In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism relies of exertingpressure on the thickness of the strap and compressing the strap. Insome embodiments it relies only on this force. It may, in someembodiments, only exert a force in the dimension of the thickness of thestrap. In these embodiments, the dimension of the distance defined bythe length of the attachment mechanism, which corresponds to thedimension of the width of the strap with which it will be associated, ispreferably as great as or greater than the width of the strap.

By way of a non-limiting example the attachment mechanism may rely on aball and socket or clip mechanism that when engaged there is compressionof the strap. The attachment mechanism may, for example, contain twoparts that are attached to the rear face of the display element at ornear the edges of the display element that are located at the ends ofthe length of the display element, which corresponds to the dimensionthat will run across the width of the strap when the accessory engagesthe strap. At one end, it may have a compression element and at theother end, it may have a receiving member. The compression element, whennot engaged by the receiving member may be able to be opened over arange that is at least 30 degrees, at least 45 degrees, at least 60degrees, at least 75 degrees, at least 90 degrees, at least 105 degrees,at least 120 degrees, at least 135 degrees, at least 150 degrees, atleast 165 degrees or 180 degrees from the plane of the back of thestrap. The compression element may also comprise a hinge or other pivotmechanism that allows it to be attached to the display element and stillhave its free end move in space. By being able to open, the accessorycan be associated with the strap without needing to be thread from anend of the length of a strap.

The compression element may also be able to move a few degrees (e.g., insome embodiments up to 20 degrees, up to 15 degrees, up to 10 degrees,or up to 5 degrees) in one or both directions relative to the widthdimension of the accessory and along the length dimension of the strapto enable positioning of it in the receiving member. The receivingmember may preferably be a concave structure that is attached to theopposite end of the rear face of the display element from thecompression element. A portion of the cavity of the concave structuremay be oriented toward the display element. Consequently, when the freeend of the compression element is received by the cavity of the concavestructure, the receiving member will prevent the compression elementfrom moving away from the strap. However, the design will also allow foreasy separation of those two parts by exertion of a small amount offorce toward the display element and then toward either end of thelength of the strap. Thus, in some embodiments the compression elementis a male part and the receiving members is a female part.

In some embodiments, the compression element, may for example beapproximately the same length as the front face of the display elementor from about 70%-80% or about 80%-90% or about 90%-100% of that lengthand from about 25% to about 95% of the height of the rear face of thedisplay element or from about 40% to about 85% of the height of the rearface of the display element or from about 50% to about 75% of the sameheight as the rear face of the display element. The compression elementand the receiving member may be attached directly to the display elementor through other elements such as side members. The side members, whenthere are two of them, may be referred to a first side member and asecond side member, which may be located at opposite ends of the rearside of the display element. In some embodiments, they may be rigidstructures that extend from the rear face of the display element andform an elongated U shape with the display element.

The accessory is designed such that when the compression element isengaged, the distance from the rear face of the display element to thecompression element is less than the thickness of the strap when thestrap is in an uncompressed shape. Accordingly, when engaging thereceiving member, the compression element causes the portion of thestrap that it crosses to be compressed. The force exerted by thecompression element should be greater than intrinsic force of thematerial of the strap to resist compression. In some embodiments, thecompression element when engaged with the receiving member causescompression of the portion of the strap with which it comes into contactto be compressed along its thickness by from about 5% to about 95% orfrom about 10% to about 80% of from about 15% to about 85% or from about20% to about 80% or from about 25% to about 75% or from about 30% toabout 70% or from about 35% to about 65% or from about 40% to about 60%.Thus, the attachment mechanism by defining a space smaller than thethickness of the strap causes compression when the compression elementis in engagement with the receiving member. In some embodiments, thereare rigid side elements that by being rigid cause the size of this spaceto be fixed, i.e., the attachment mechanism does not need to rely on theuse of springs or coils.

If the distance from the rear face of the display element to the top ofthe receiving member and compression element (the point farthest fromthe display element) is less than the thickness of the compressed strap,the accessory, when engaged will not protrude from the rear plane of thestrap and in the case of a backpack strap will not contact the wearer'schest.

The portion of the strap beneath where the compression element contactsthe strap is preferably compressible, i.e., it is made of a materialthat can be compressed. For example, this portion of the strap maycomprise, consist essentially of or consist of rubber, foam, cotton,wool, coils, springs, leather, etc.

Another example of an attachment mechanism is a barrette clip. As withthe aforementioned attachment mechanism, a barrette clip that isselected to apply sufficient force to compress a strap and to be ofsufficient size to be attached to a strap, will when closed define aspace that is smaller than the thickness of the strap when the strap isin an uncompressed state. Although in some embodiments it is preferableto use only an attachment mechanism that does not affect the integrityof the strap, the aforementioned attachment mechanisms can be usedcombination with or be substituted with mechanisms that do affect theintegrity of the strap, e.g., a pin or needle.

In some embodiments, the accessory circumscribes all sides of a portionof the strap. Thus, when engaged with the strap, the accessory, throughits component parts, may form an unbroken ring around the strap. Theshape of the ring may be regular or irregular and may be substantiallysimilar to the outer shape of a cross-section of a strap. In someembodiments, the unbroken ring is oriented perpendicular to oressentially perpendicular to the length dimension of the strap.

As persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize, thestrap may be a shoulder strap. In some embodiments, there may be twostraps that are a first strap and a second strap. Both of these can, forexample, be shoulder straps. A portion of the straps may be padded, andthe accessory may be designed to circumscribe the padded or unpaddedsections. The two shoulder straps can be designed to be worn ondifferent shoulders of a user as in the case of a backpack or on thesame shoulder of user as in the case of a tote bag.

The carrying device may comprise one accessory or a plurality ofaccessories. For example, the carrying device may have one accessory,two accessories, three accessories, four accessories, five accessories,six accessories, seven accessories, eight accessories, etc.

In some embodiments, the strap has one or more alignment elements. Thealignment elements may, for example, be one or more horizontal lines ordepressions (also referred to as recesses) in the rear side of the strapand/or the front side of the strap that can easily guide a user as towhere to place an accessory so that it is displayed a desired distancefrom the top of the strap when the carrying device is in use, forexample along a person's chest or a desired distance from the bagitself. Some straps may contain the alignment elements only on theirrear sides i.e., one side that is not the side on which the displayelement is intended to be placed. This may, particularly in the case ofbackpacks, enable a user to use the carrying device without accessoriesand not have the alignment elements be visible to other persons. In someembodiments, the alignment element is distinct from any attachmentmechanism, whereas in other embodiments, it forms a complementary partof an attachment mechanism and can be used to receive an accessory.Additionally, in some embodiments, the alignment element can beconfigured so that it is not visible when looking at the front of thestrap, and/or not visible when one looks at the sides of the strap. Byway of example, it may be designed so as not to be hole that spans thethickness of the strap.

In some embodiments, a strap has from one to fifteen alignment elements,or from three to thirteen alignment elements or from five to tenalignment elements. In some embodiments, the strap has one, two, three,four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen,fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, or twentyalignment elements. In some embodiments, the alignment elements arepreferably evenly spaced and may for example be spaced at a distancethat permits two accessories to be attached to the strap in consecutivealignment elements. However, it is with the scope of the presentinvention to use accessories that are not only the same size or smallerin their height dimensions than the space between alignment elements,but also larger than those spaces in which case a plurality ofaccessories would be distributed with one more alignment elementsassociated with each of them. Additionally, when there are plurality ofalignment elements, they may be evenly spaced but only exist over aportion of the strap that is smaller than the length of the entirestrap.

When there is a plurality of straps, there may be alignment elements oneach strap so that a user can easily align accessories on the two strapsto create a more pleasing visual display. In some embodiments,accompanying the alignment elements are numbers or letters or othercodes to enable a wearer to quickly determine which alignment elementson two or more straps will be on the same horizontal plane when thecarrying device is in use. For example, the alignment elements on eachstrap may be numbered 1 to N where N equals the number of alignmentelements. When the alignment elements are depressions, it may beadvantageous for the thickness of the strap in the depressed area priorto compression by the accessory to be greater than the distance betweenthe attachment mechanism and the rear of the display element whenengaged so that the strap can be further compressed.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the alignment elements are notstitching or are distinguishable from stitching. In addition tocomprising a depression or instead of comprising a depression, thealignment elements may comprise one or more of a change in color and achange in texture. Still further, it may be desirable so that whenviewing one side of a strap, the alignment element is not visible evenwhen so accessory is associated with it. For example when viewing thefront of a strap, the alignment element may be hidden because it doesnot appear on the front of the strap and is not in a configuration thatspans the entire thickness of the strap. The thickness of the strap istypically much smaller than the width of the strap, and as persons ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the alignment element may beconfigured such that none of it or some of it is visible when viewingthe side of the strap.

Beneath the alignment elements in the strap may be a compressiblematerial that has shape memory. In some embodiments, some or all of theportions of the strap in areas beneath alignment elements do not containcompressible materials or contain materials that are compressible to alesser degree than those areas associated with the alignment elements.By way of non-limiting examples, the compressible portions of the strapthat are located in the area in which the accessory will be affixed,e.g., beneath the alignment element, will comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of foam, rubber, another elastic material, a spring,a coil, etc. Further, as persons of ordinary skill in the art willreadily appreciate the carry devices can be associated with accessoriesin a manner that the accessories cover alignment elements or are placedadjacent to them such than a edge of an accessory is next to analignment element but part or all of the alignment element is stillvisible when the accessory is associated with the strap.

As noted above, the present invention is not limited by the attachmentmechanism. By way of further example, the accessory may be comprised ofa material that may reversibly retain a plurality of shapes due to shapememory features of the material. The use of shape memory materials arewell known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. When force isexerted on these materials they may be moved from one discrete positionto a second discrete position or possible a third. Certain types ofplastics may for example be used to construct these types of materials.

In one embodiment, the attachment mechanism comprises a first shapememory element and a second shape memory element, which are eachcompression elements. When each of the first shape memory element andthe second shape memory elements are in first position they may forexample be perpendicular to the rear face display element or in anorientation of from 90 degrees to 180 degrees from plane of the displayelement. When they are each in a second position, they may be parallelto the rear face of the display element or within less than 20 degreesdeviation from being parallel to the display element or within less than15 degrees deviation from being parallel to the display element orwithin less than 10 degrees deviation from being parallel to the displayelement or within less than 5 degrees deviation from being parallel tothe display element or within less than 3 degrees deviation from beingparallel to the display element. The second position is the positionthat the first and second shape memory elements are in when theycompress the strap.

The first shape memory element and the second shape memory elements mayeach be attached to the display element by a side element (which may bereferred to as a first side element and a second side element). The sideelements may be rigid and form sides that will when in use run along thethickness dimension of the strap. The side elements may be designed suchthat they enable the shape memory elements when they engage the strap tocause compression of the strap. In some embodiments, the side elementsspan a distance from the display element to the attachment element thatis same size as the thickness of the strap or up to 99% of the size ofthe thickness of the strap or up to 90% of the size of the thickness ofthe strap or up to 80% of the size of the thickness of the strap or upto 70% of the size of the thickness of the strap or up to 60% of thesize of the thickness of the strap or up to 50% of the size of thethickness of the strap or between 50% and 90% of the size of thethickness of the strap or between 60% and 80% of the size of thethickness of the strap.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a backpackcomprising a bag, a first strap, a second strap, and an accessory. Thefirst strap and the second strap are shoulder straps and are attached tothe bag. The accessory may be reversibly associated with the first strapor the second strap. The accessory may comprise a display element and anattachment mechanism. The attachment mechanism permits the accessory tobe reversibly associated with the first strap or the second strap. Inthe embodiment one or a plurality of accessories may be used and when aplurality is used, all may be on the first strap or some may be eachstrap.

The attachment mechanism may for example be any of the aforementionedattachment mechanism. When engaged, the accessory retains associationwith the strap by compressing the strap between the attachment mechanismand the display element. Preferably, the accessory does not pierce thefirst strap and does not pierce the second strap.

In other embodiments, the compression element may cause compression ofthe strap by using magnetic forces. For example, if the compressionelement is a rod attached to the display element by a hinge on one end,on the other end it may have a positive magnetic charge while thedisplay element has a negative magnetic charge. (Alternatively, the rodmay have a negative magnetic charge while the display element has apositive magnetic charge. Thus, they have opposite charges.) Magneticforces can be used in combination with other mechanisms for forcingcompression or independent of those mechanisms.

In some embodiments, the accessory is designed so as to minimize sharp,jagged, or rough edges on one or more of the front, side or rear. Byminimizing these types of shapes, a person may reduce her risk ofdiscomfort. For example, the rear of the attachment device may containrounded or smooth sides so that as the accessory rests on a person'sbody, the person does not feel discomfort. It may also contain a coverthat is smooth and/or soft. The cover may rest between the attachmentmechanism and for example the chest of a user of the carrying device.

As noted above, in many embodiments it is desirable for the method ofassociation of the strap and accessory to rely exclusively oncompression forces. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art willreadily recognize that in other embodiments, still other methods ofengagement can be used in conjunction with or instead of theaforementioned attachment mechanisms. By way of non-limiting examplesadditional attachment mechanisms could employ latch and hooktechnologies or snap and fastener systems. However, for some persons thehardware that is associated with these systems is undesirable, becausewhen an accessory is not in use, the hardware that is attached to thestrap (e.g., a snap or fastener) is visible and/or can be felt by thepersons carrying the carrying device when the device is in use. Thus, insome embodiments the system has an absence of hardware permanentlyaffixed to the strap when the accessory is not in use.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the compression element lacks jaggededges or teeth. The absence of these features will in some embodimentsenable a user to avoid compromising the integrity of the strap.

The invention may be further understood by reference to the accompanyingfigures. These figures are for illustrative purposes only and are notnecessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 shows a person wearing a backpack with two straps. The straps 1,allow for carrying of bag portion of the backpack 2. The display elementof the accessory 3 is visible by other persons.

FIG. 2 shows a strap 4 (not to scale) and an accessory over which it isoverlaid. Shown is the rear face of the display element 7. Attached toit is a side element 6 and first shape retention member 5. Both the sideelement and the first shape retention member may have shape retentionproperties that enable them to be moved between two or more discretepositions by the exertion of a force. By the exertion of a force in theopposite direction, being returned to a previous state. As shown in FIG.2, the display element, the side elements and the shape retentionelements are in the same plane.

FIG. 3 shows the strap 10 of FIG. 2 with the attachment element engaged.This view is from the rear side. Shown are the rear face of the displayelement 8 and the first shape retention member 9 folded over the strap,where it meets the second shape retention member. The side elements arenot shown as they run perpendicular to the shape retention elements andconnect the display elements and the shape retention elements.

FIG. 4 shows the cross-section of a strap 12 (with the length appearinghorizontal) and the accessory, with the display element 13 and theattachment element 11 compressing the thickness of the strap. The sideelements are omitted from the figure in order to illustrate thecompression of the thickness.

FIG. 5 shows a hypothetical strap and accessory as if viewed from theend of the strap and the strap were not attached to a bag at that end.In this figure, the strap 16 is not as wide as the length of accessorywith a display element 15. The attachment mechanism has a first end 14that is located slightly away from the edge of the rear face of thedisplay element. The second end of the attachment mechanism 17 issimilarly located slightly away from the other end of the rear face ofthe display element. Note that in this figure, the portion of theattachment mechanism that compresses the strap is not visible because ithas a compressing force that is strong enough to compress the portion ofthe strap that it touches to a thickness that is smaller than thecombined thickness of the compression element and the compressed strap.Thus, the portion of the strap that is seen in the figure is closer tothe viewer of the figure than the attachment mechanism.

FIG. 6 shows an accessory of the present invention in an open position.In order to illustrate the invention, the strap is not shown. Theaccessory is shown from a side view. Thus, the display element 19appears at the bottom. Attached to it are two side elements 20, 21.Attached to side element 20 is a receiving member 18. Attached to theother side element is a compression element 22, which has a ball shapeat its end 23. The compression element is shown open more than 90degrees relative to the rear face of the display element. This willallow for ease of insertion of a strap.

FIG. 7 shows the same accessory as FIG. 6, with the display element 19and the side elements 20 and 21 shown for reference. The hinge 24 hasbeen rotated and the compression element 22 is now parallel to thedisplay element 19. The ball end 23 of the compression element is engageby the receiving member 18 and thus will be retained in position.

When selecting an accessory for a strap, a consumer may of course choosea display element that enables the consumer to express herself as shewishes to be expressed. However, she should choose an accessory thatwill work efficiently with the strap. This will be an accessory that hasa space defined by the distance from the rear face of the displayelement to the compression member that is less than the thickness of thestrap with which it is to be used over the desired region. Additionally,although the strap may have some resistance to compression, theresistance to compression of the strap should be less than the forcewith which the compression element is held in place by for example thereceiving member.

According to another embodiment, the present invention is directed todevices that permit the display of multiple accessories at the samedistance from the bag on the same strap, and/or across a plurality ofstraps. By way of example, these embodiments are particularlyadvantageous when being used in combination with tote bags or handbags,but may also be used in combination with any other bag that is now knowor that comes to be know and that a person of ordinary skill in the artwould appreciate at being of use in combination with the presentinvention.

When carrying out this embodiment, each of the one or more straps may beattached to the bag at attachment locations. For example, a strap, whichmay be referred to as a first strap even if only one strap is presentmay be attached to a bag at a first location and a second location. Thefirst and second locations may for example be 1 to 12 inches apart or 2to 10 inches apart or 4 to 6 inches apart and be located on the same ordifferent sides of the bag. The strap may be continuous and thus theremay be a midpoint between the strap ends that a user may place in herhand or over her shoulder that when placed in those locations, cause thebag to be substantially level. The strap may be attached to the bagthrough for example stitching or other sewing or adhesion mechanismsthat are now known or that come to be known and that a person ofordinary skill in the art would appreciate as being of use in connectionwith the present invention.

A given strap may also contain a first alignment element and a secondalignment element. The first alignment element may be located a firstdistance from the first attachment location and the second alignmentelement may be located a second distance from the second attachmentlocation. If the first distance and the second distance are the same orsubstantially the same, then when the bag is carried at the midpoint ofthe strap, the alignment elements will be located at about the sameheight from the ground or from the bag. The distances may be consideredto be substantially same if they are exactly the same or differ in anamount that is not readily apparent to typically viewer of the bag whenin use or in some embodiments, are within 1/2 of an inch or ¼ of an inchor ⅛ of an inch or 1/16 of an inch or 1/32 of an inch of each other.These bags may be used with or without one or more of the accessoriesdescribed above. If two accessories are used and one is located at thefirst alignment element and another is located at the second alignmentelement, then when in use they will be displayed on different halves ofthe same strap.

The strap may further comprise a third alignment element and a fourthalignment element, wherein the third alignment element is located athird distance from the first attachment location and the fourthalignment element is located a fourth distance from the fourthattachment element, wherein the third distance and the fourth distanceare substantially the same size. Thus, there may be two or morealignment elements on each half of a strap. For example each half of thestrap may have two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,etc. alignment elements. In some embodiments for each alignment elementon one half of the strap there is a corresponding alignment element onthe second half of the strap that is the same distance from the bag. Itis also within the scope of the present invention to put alignmentelements on only one half of the straps.

As with other embodiments, any two or more if not all of the alignmentelements may be parallel to each other. For example, the first alignmentelement and the third alignment element may be parallel to each other.Alternatively or additionally, the second alignment element and thefourth alignment element are parallel to each other.

In some embodiments, the first alignment element and the secondalignment element are each on only one side of the strap. Because thestrap may appear essentially folded when in use, when alignment elementsare on the same side of the strap they may both be on the inner side,which refers to the side oriented toward the bag and may also bereferred to as the rear side. When there are additional alignmentelements, they too may be located on the inner side of the strap.

When there are one or more accessories, in some embodiments, they eachcomprise an attachment mechanism. The attachment mechanism may comprisea compression element, wherein the strap is located between thecompression element and the display element. In some embodiments inwhich an accessory is used, the alignment element is a recess (alsoreferred to as a depression) and when the accessory is in use, thethickness of the strap in an area that is not located at one of therecesses is greater than or equal to the combined thickness of the strapat a location of a recess and the attachment mechanism at the locationat which the attachment mechanism contacts the recess.

In some embodiments, the first alignment element and the secondalignment element each comprise nicks on the left and right sides of thestrap. When there are nicks, in some cases, the width of the strap at alocation in the vicinity of the alignment element that does not containthe nicks is greater than or equal to the length of the accessory. Thus,in these cases, the strap width may be no greater over regions in whichthere are accessories than regions in which there are no accessories.The aforementioned design of nicks may also be used in combination withstraps for backpacks and other bags.

When these embodiments are in use, one may use one or a plurality ofaccessories. If there are a plurality of accessories and a greaternumber of alignment elements than accessories that are being used at agiven time, a user may choose to put a different number of each halve ofthe strap or the same number on each half of the strap. Additionally,even when using the same number of accessories, the user may elect toaffix them at the same or different distance from the attachmentlocations and thereby create a symmetrical or an asymmetrical look.

As persons of ordinary skill in the art are aware, many bags have two ormore straps. When there are two straps, they may be referred to as afirst strap and a second strap. In the second strap, there may be thesame number or a different number of alignment elements as in the firststrap as described above. Further, the second strap may be the same sizeor a different size than the first strap. For example, there may be asecond strap that is attached to the bag at a third attachment locationand at a fourth attachment location and the second strap comprises afifth alignment element and a sixth alignment element, wherein the fifthalignment element is located a fifth distance from the third attachmentlocation and the sixth alignment element is located a sixth distancefrom the fourth attachment location, wherein the fifth distance and thesixth distance are approximately the same size. They may also be thesame as the first distance and the second distance, i.e., the same asthe distance from the first alignment element to the first attachmentlocation and the same as the distance from the second alignment elementto the second attachment location.

On the second strap, there may also be seventh and eighth alignmentelements that are a seventh distance from the third attachment locationand an eighth distance from a fourth attachment location, respectively.They may also be the same as the third distance and the fourth distance,i.e., the same as the distance from the third alignment element to thefirst attachment location and the same as the distance from the fourthalignment element to the second attachment location. Additionally, aswith the first strap, there may be greater numbers of alignment elementson each half of that strap. For example there may be two straps, eachwith one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, etc.alignment elements on each half of each strap for a total number ofalignment elements being twice that on each strap, and in total, the baghaving four times as many alignment elements.

When comparing the two straps, the alignment elements may be designedsuch that they allow for one or more sets of four accessories to bedistributed among the two straps at approximately the same distance fromthe bags. As persons of ordinary skill in the art are aware, often whenthere are two straps, one strap may be associated with an upper leftside of the bag and the other strap may be associated with an upperright side of the bag such that when in use, and any closure mechanismsare disengaged, by pulling on one strap in one direction and the otherstrap in the other direction, the bag will open.

FIG. 8 shows a tote bag with a bag section 38 and a first strap 30 and asecond strap 31. The first strap is attached to the bag at a firstattachment location 36 and at a second attachment location 37. On thefirst strap are first accessory 32, second accessory 33, third accessory34, and fourth accessory 35. The first accessory and the secondaccessory are the same distance from the first attachment location andthe second attachment location, respectively. Similarly, the thirdaccessory and the fourth accessory are the same distance from the firstattachment location and the second attachment location, respectively.

FIG. 9 shows another tote bag. The bag 47 is attached to a strap 40 atthe first attachment location 45 and the second location 46. Firstaccessory 41 and third accessory 43 are on the same half of the strap,whereas second accessory 42 and 44 are located on the other half of thestrap. All accessories are oriented away from the bag and the firstaccessory and the second accessory are the same distance from the firstattachment location and the second attachment location respectively.Similarly, the third accessory and the fourth accessory are the samedistance from the first attachment location and the second attachmentlocation respectively.

The figure also shows the compression elements 48 of the attachmentmechanisms of the third and fourth accessories. The figure also showsalignment elements 49 that are not being associated with accessories.

Unless otherwise specified, any of the features of the variousembodiments described herein can be used in conjunction with featuresdescribed in connection with any other embodiments disclosed.Accordingly, features described in connection with the various orspecific embodiments are not to be construed as not suitable inconnection with other embodiments disclosed herein unless suchexclusivity is explicitly stated or implicit from the context.

1. A carrying device comprising: (a) a bag; and (b) a strap, whereinsaid strap is attached to said bag, wherein the strap comprises at leastone alignment element, wherein said alignment element is not visiblefrom a front side of the strap.
 2. The carrying device of claim 1,wherein said bag is a tote bag or a backpack.
 3. The carrying device ofclaim 1, wherein said strap comprises a plurality of alignment elements.4. The carrying device of claim 3, wherein the alignment elements areparallel to each other.
 5. The carrying device of claim 4, wherein thereare at least three alignment elements.
 6. The carrying device of claim5, wherein the at least three alignment elements are evenly spaced. 7.The carrying device of claim 4, wherein the alignment element is onlyvisible on the rear side of the strap.
 8. The carrying device of claim1, wherein the strap is a first strap and the carrying device furthercomprises a second strap, wherein the second strap comprises at leastone alignment element, wherein said alignment element of the secondstrap is not visible from a front side of the second strap.
 9. Thecarrying device of claim 8, wherein the first strap and the second strapeach comprise at least three alignment elements.
 10. The carrying deviceof claim 9, wherein the at least three alignment elements are evenlyspaced.
 11. The carrying device of claim 1, wherein the alignmentelement spans less than the width of a rear side of the strap.
 12. Thecarrying device of claim 1, wherein the alignment element comprises adepression.
 13. The carrying device of claim 1, wherein the strap iscompressible beneath the alignment element.
 14. The carrying device ofclaim 1, wherein the strap is a shoulder strap.
 15. The carrying deviceof claim 6, wherein the first strap and the second strap are bothshoulder straps.
 16. The carrying device of claim 1, wherein thealignment element is substantially parallel to the width of the strap.17. The carrying device of claim 1, wherein the alignment element doesnot span the thickness of the strap.
 18. The carrying device of claim 1,wherein the strap has an absence of holes.
 19. The carrying device ofclaim 12, wherein the strap is a shoulder strap.
 20. The carrying deviceof claim 18 wherein the first strap and the second strap are bothshoulder straps.